Places

East Renfrewshire’s Places

Although parish and local authority boundaries have changed over time, the areas making up East Renfrewshire since April 1996 are: Barrhead, Busby, Clarkston, Eaglesham, Giffnock, Mearns, Neilston, Netherlee, Thornliebank and Uplawmoor.

Before that the history of these areas goes back many centuries, some of the earliest evidence of settlements are of ancient hillforts at Dunwan and Duncarnock, a pre-Roman settlement at Overlee in Clarkston and an iron-age fort at Busby Glen. The fascinating history of the area includes: an association with the patron saint, Conval; the strong links between Renfrewshire and the Stewart kings; the area’s involvement in the civil war of the Covenant and the hectic, industrial era which centred on the Cart and Levern rivers and led to the growth of villages like Busby and Neilston.

The pages in this section will give you a brief overview of the history or each area with links to other related information. However, the full range of resources in our heritage collection can lead anyone interested in local history, from beginner to experienced researcher, to much more detailed information on the local area.